A North Stonington man who stole more than $229,000 while working at Fiddleheads Food Cooperative in New London started a two-year prison sentence on Tuesday.

Robert Tompkins Jr., 24, turned to his family with tears in his eyes as judicial marshals led him out of a New London courtroom.

In April, Tompkins had pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny for taking money from the Broad Street grocery store while working there between 2017 and 2020. New London police said Tompkins was able to embezzle the money by conducting fraudulent credit card transactions and then issuing refunds to his personal credit card.

State Prosecutor Stephen Carney, who initially sought three years in prison but later agreed to a plea arrangement, said while it was a nonviolent crime, it impacted the co-op and the community it serves. He said the state was not trying to be vindictive in its recommendation for prison time but find an appropriate punishment for what was a hefty amount of money as well as a betrayal of trust to his employers.

Defense attorney Jeremiah Donovan called Tompkins a “terrific kid” who was full of remorse that he had violated the trust of his family and co-workers. Tompkins had worked at Fiddleheads since the age of 14 and has siblings who work there now, he said.

An agreement for restitution to Fiddleheads was worked out in a separate civil proceeding. And while Tompkins is behind on restitution payments, he had delivered $7,000 on Friday, Donovan said.

It remains unclear where all of the money went, though Donovan intimated that Tomkins had started taking small amounts to pay for things like car payments and the amounts started to add up.

“It got away from me,” Tompkins said, following an apology to Fiddleheads and his family prior to his sentencing.

“I don’t think it reflects who I really am as a person,” he said.

To his credit, Donovan said Tompkins confessed to the crime as soon as he was confronted with the financial irregularities discovered by Fiddleheads’ credit card processing company in 2020. Tompkins at the time was working as a systems administrator with access to the store’s point-of-sale system.

Tompkins previously had agreed to pay back the full amount of money starting with $20,000 due within 30 days of the agreement. He also has agreed to make monthly payments starting at $250 per month and increasing incrementally to $750 until 2039 or until his debt is paid. He said he has checks lined up to send to Fiddleheads while he is in prison.

Family members had spoken at previous court appearances and submitted a host of letters to the court vouching for Tompkins’ character in hopes of some leniency by the court. No one spoke at the sentencing, likely because the plea agreement did not contain the option of arguing for less prison time.

New London Superior Court Judge Hillary Strackbein, who had accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Tompkins on Tuesday, said, “more than the money, I think the breach of trust shocked (Fiddleheads).”

She called the prison sentence a “severe wake-up call,” and said Tomkins was young enough to still live a productive life with the right choices.

Given that there is not clarity on where the money went, Strackbein said Tompkins will undergo an evaluation for substance abuse and gambling issues. Tompkins also will serve five years of probation when he is released from prison and cannot work anywhere where he is entrusted with money unless it is approved by the Office of Adult Probation.

Tompkins pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine, which means he disputes some of the state’s allegations but does not want to risk a harsher sentence at trial.

Fiddleheads, which is cooperatively owned by members, reported gross sales of $5.68 million in 2021 and, after expenses,  a projected net income of $28,629.

g.smith@theday.com